Picker mechanism for circular knitting machines



March 12, 1946. I B HAL 2,396,490

PICKER MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 19, 1944 INveJv'I-o smut mnh wa.

Patented Mar. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PICKER MECHANI' 'SM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTIN G MACHINES Ernest Brooksby and Frederick Edward Deans, Leicester, England, assignors to The Bentley Engineering Company Limited, Leicester, England, a company of Great Britain Application May 19, 1944, Serial No. 536,358

In Great Britain May 3, 1943 6 Claims.

This invention consists in improvements in or relating to picker mechanism for circular knitting machines. A picker, as is well understood, is used to move a needle or more than one needle from one position to another in the trick or groove in which the needle or each of the needles is situated. For instance, in knittin heel and toe pouches the necessary narrowing and widening of the knitted fabric is produced by the shifting of one needle or two or more needles simultaneously from the control of one cam track to the control of another.

One form of such device which is in common v use consists, in the case of a machine having a moving needle cylinder and a stationary cam box, of a lever or arm pivoted outside the needle cylinder on a stationary part of the machine or on a bracket attached to a stationary part. operative position the arm extends more or less radially with respect to the needle cylinder with its inner or free end close to the cylinder and within range of the butts of the needles or needle sliders as they move round with the cylinder. The arm is pivoted about a vertical axis and also about a horizontal axis so that the end adjacent the cylinder can move in any direction in its own sphere, but the direction in which it does move is determined by a cam with which the arm is engaged either at some point between the pivot and the end adjacent the cylinder or on an extension of the arm on that side of the pivot remote from the cylinder. The end of the arm adjacent the needle cylinder is formed with a, horizontal portion from which depends a vertical wall to engage the butts. Assuming the picker is to lower two needles in each direction during successive reciprocations of the needle cylinder (during a widening operation on a heel or toe pouch) the horizontal and vertical portions will take the form of the letter T and the mode of operation will be as follows:

When the butt of the first needle or needle slider to be lowered has reached the picker it will Dass under the horizontal portion and strike against the vertical wall. By this time the next following butt will also be safely under the horizontal portion. Continued movement of the butts will turn the picker about the vertical axis of its pivot and at about the same time the action of the cam will cause the picker to turn about its horizontal axis also. The horizontal portion of the picker end will then come in contact with the upper edges of the butts and will lower the needles or sliders until, owing to the mutually di vergent paths of the picker ends and the butts,

In its the latter pass out from the reach of the picker.

Thereafter the picker will be returned, generally by the action of a spring, but it cannot at once return to its normal height at which it received the butts because following butts in the same row as those which it has picked form a barrier above it preventing its return. The upper surface of the picker therefore comes into contact with the lower edges of the butts andthe latter continue to ride over the picker until the last butt of the row has passed, whereupon the Dicker is free to return and does in fact returnto its receiving height.

It is important for the smooth operation of such pickers that the row ofbutts shall remain unbroken because a gap in the row may allow the picker to enter or partially enter the gap, and either the picking of undesired needles occurs causing a fault in the fabric or breakage of one or more butts results with consequent damage to the knitting devices.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks and to provide a picker which will operate satisfactorily and smoothly even though there may be a gap of several butts in succession, or of several long butts for the instep needles, such gaps occurring either accidentally or being made intentionally as is the case in the operation of certain types of machine.

For this purpose the invention comprises a picker formed with lateral extensions or wings on each side of the central portion thereof, the dimension of each extension being such as to cover the widest gap in the long needle butts that is likely to occur.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, one preferred example will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the picker, and

Figure 2 is a plan of the picker shown in its operative position in relation to the needle butts.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in both figures of the drawing.

The picker as to the central portion In of its end adjacent the needle cylinder may be similar to those at present in use having a downwardly directed central rib II. The edges l2 of the wings I3 adjacent the needle cylinder are extended as shown and are arcuate in form so that whenthe picker is central those edges of the wings gradually diverge from the needle cylinder as they approach their outer extremities.

The arcuate curvature of the edges is preferably struck from the vertical axis l4 about which the picker swings and the central portion In of the picker, that is to say, the portion which will be operative for picking, is extended somewhat closer to the needle cylinder. The central portion will, however, when the picker has been swung to one side during a picking action, lie as far back as the outer ends of the butts with which the picker has to co-operate so as not to interfere with the picking, and the lateral extensions are set back from the central portion to such an extent that in all positions of the picker they will, as shown, just miss the butts l6 of needles or sliders which are carried by cylinder I! and which are to be picked but, nevertheless, will engage beneath the long butts l8 despite any gap which may occur in the row of long butts.

The picker is mounted also to turn about a horizontal axis by mounting it on a pin received in hole l5.

The invention is applicable, with modifications well understood, to machines in which the needle cylinder is stationary and the cam box revolves and, moreover, if the picker is to co-operate only with needles at one end of a row, a lateral extension I! on one side only of rib II will be required and the rib can then be located near the edge of the central portion l remote from the wing or extension [2.

We claim:

1. For a knitting machine in which are employed needles some of which have long butts and other short butts, a picker which is to operate on the short butts, and which is formed with a laterally extended wing on one side at least of the normal central portion of the picker that will be operative to engage and. move the needles during a picking operation, the said wing being set back from the central portion and away from the needles so that it extends obliquely to the longitudinal centre line of the picker and the outer extremity of the wing lies further back from the nose of the picker than does the root of the win whereby the wing will remain clear of the short butts in all positions of the picker, the lateral dimension of the wing being such as to cover the widest gap that is likely to occur in the distribution of needles, having long butts.

2. A picker according to claim 1 in which the edge of the laterally extended wing portion is curved in such manner that when the picker is in its central position the edge portion of the wing will curve away from the needle cylinder with which it is associated.

3. For a knitting machine, a picker according to claim 1 having laterally extended wings one on each side of the central portion of the picker in which the edges of the laterally extended wing portions are each curved in such manner that when the picker is in its central position the wing edges will curve away from the needle cylinder with which the picker is associated.

4. For a knitting machine, a picker according to claim 1 in which the edge of the laterally extended wing portion is curved in such manner that when the picker is in its central position the edge portion of the wing will curve away from the needle cylinder with which it is associated, the said curved portion of the picker edge being circularly curved and struck from a vertical axis about which the picker is to be mounted to swing.

5. For a knitting machine, a picker according to claim 1 having laterally extended wings one on each side of the central portion of the picker in which the edges of the laterally extended wing portions are each curved in such manner that when the picker is in its central position the wing edges will curve away from the needle cylinder with which the picker is associated, the said curved portion of the picker edge being circularly curved and struck from a vertical axis about which the picker is to be mounted to swing. 

